The "Poser Community"

I'd like some input on this, and maybe it would be an interesting topic.

TL;DR down at the bottom of this lengthy post...

"The Poser Community".

I see this phrase quite often in a few of the main Poser-oriented sites.

What does this mean? What does this mean to you?

I've been using Poser for ten years now. And only in the past year or so have I started to venture into discussions in Poser forums, or attempt to participate in any "community". The basic reason I haven't is that I don't have time to hang out on forums (and to be honest, I really can't stand the sniping and arguing that goes on in some forums). The main reason I started participating is that I wanted to know what was happening with Poser 11.

There are many more like me out there. They don't feel they "belong" to a community. Maybe they don't want to. They perhaps don't even read forums at all, let alone post or reply to posts. They only go to vendor's sites to purchase items, not to participate. Maybe they don't even post their art online anywhere. But they really want to do is make some kind of art using Poser.

Or hey...maybe they do belong to a community. But it's on Tumblr. Or DeviantArt. Or Facebook.

Or maybe they are part of a military illustration community. Or a pinup gals illustration community. Or a sci-fi illustration community. Or a porn illustration community. Or a magical fantasy illustration community. Or an anime illustration community. Or a nature illustration community. Or a medical illustration community.

Just not here. And not any of the other "big" sites.

So which "Poser Community" are you talking about if you say "the Poser community",
e.g. "This person has given a lot to the Poser community" or "I'm part of the Poser community"?

Which Poser community? What Poser community?

My observation over time has been that it's the same relatively small group of folks who frequent some of the big sites, as they've done for many years, who've more or less been a loose-knit group for those years, who call themselves "the Poser community". I see the same group of names here, there, and other places. I salute the Old Guard.

It could be argued the "Poser community" isn't really a thing anymore or that it can't be a thing anymore -- not in the sense that it once was -- because "Poserdom" is far larger and more varied than it was a decade ago when I started, let alone when back when some folks started with Poser 1. And since the big kaboom with RDNA a little while ago, though the forums there are still apparently active, at least a few new communities have sprung up. How many Poser art groups are there on DeviantArt, for example? Aren't they communities, too?

So is this the Poser Community?

Just to be clear: I'm not denigrating or picking on anyone or any group. My observations are just observations, and they may only be mine. It's late where I am and I'm blithering and I'd really just like to know what "the Poser community" is to you, if you're reading this.

TL;DRSo, what does the term "the Poser community" mean to you, personally?

Waaaaay back, during a figure drawing class in 1998, I was introduced to Poser 3 (I think). Back then my personal Poser community consisted of myself, a couple other students and our instructor. Today is really no different to me in terms of personal community size. There's a handful of folks I regularly communicate with on Poser topics. None of us in our relatively small group are the most vocal on any of the forums. We are there, reading, observing and shaking our heads an awful lot at the silliness which invariably erupts. I can't imagine any studio art environment (academic or professional) where the members would be allowed to childishly bicker about the merits of a particular brush set, endlessly argue about oils versus acrylics or talk infinite smack about the very studio or gallery they call home. So "The Poser Community" to me will likely continue to be a handful of like-minded individuals from several corners of the larger Poserverse. We are connected by our emails and messaging, not by a particular forum or social media outlet.

Do you know what the person does who lives 3 doors down from you? What they like to eat on Fridays? I don't, but they are still a part of my local 'community'. I think it is just as much a way of reminding people that Poser is what it is, there is a wide array of uses for it, and users using it, and if you don't like it, there are other 'communities' associated with different software.This is not the Poser community, all Poser users are a part of the 'community'.This is a forum.
In short, what you called the Poserverse is my view of what constitutes the Poser community.

Do you know what the person does who lives 3 doors down from you? What they like to eat on Fridays? I don't, but they are still a part of my local 'community'. I think it is just as much a way of reminding people that Poser is what it is, there is a wide array of uses for it, and users using it, and if you don't like it, there are other 'communities' associated with different software.This is not the Poser community, all Poser users are a part of the 'community'.This is a forum.
In short, what you called the Poserverse is my view of what constitutes the Poser community.

I do. She's a paralegal and a single mom. On Fridays, she has four or five of her woman friends over and they drink wine, have what she described as "unhealthy and delicious" pizza, and chat and watch a television series which, at the time she told us this, was Downton Abbey.

Waaaaay back, during a figure drawing class in 1998, I was introduced to Poser 3 (I think). Back then my personal Poser community consisted of myself, a couple other students and our instructor. Today is really no different to me in terms of personal community size. There's a handful of folks I regularly communicate with on Poser topics. None of us in our relatively small group are the most vocal on any of the forums. We are there, reading, observing and shaking our heads an awful lot at the silliness which invariably erupts. I can't imagine any studio art environment (academic or professional) where the members would be allowed to childishly bicker about the merits of a particular brush set, endlessly argue about oils versus acrylics or talk infinite smack about the very studio or gallery they call home. So "The Poser Community" to me will likely continue to be a handful of like-minded individuals from several corners of the larger Poserverse. We are connected by our emails and messaging, not by a particular forum or social media outlet.

The Poser Community is a disparate categorization of people who use Poser, as hobbyists, prosumers or professionals, and also interact with other Poser users either directly in physical groups or on online communities - someone who simply uses Poser but does not interact with anyone really isn't a part of a community but simply a user. The community spans the planet and encompasses groups that speak other languages than English.

This very, very new communications hub has the potential of galvanizing many disparate groups of users, if Smith Micro really works at it. They have the potential to create a far more open community than DAZ.

The Poser Community is a disparate categorization of people who use Poser, as hobbyists, prosumers or professionals, and also interact with other Poser users either directly in physical groups or on online communities - someone who simply uses Poser but does not interact with anyone really isn't a part of a community but simply a user. The community spans the planet and encompasses groups that speak other languages than English.

This very, very new communications hub has the potential of galvanizing many disparate groups of users, if Smith Micro really works at it. They have the potential to create a far more open community than DAZ.

For me the "Poser Community" is the smallish group of people you keep seeing (er, reading) around the main Poser watering holes.

They might be but a vanishingly small fraction of the overall Poser users, but they are the visible tip of the iceberg. Keyword is "visible". You see them, you hear them.
To stay with the iceberg pardigm, nobody knows what happens further down below the water, unless it surfaces.

For me the "Poser Community" is the smallish group of people you keep seeing (er, reading) around the main Poser watering holes.

They might be but a vanishingly small fraction of the overall Poser users, but they are the visible tip of the iceberg. Keyword is "visible". You see them, you hear them.
To stay with the iceberg pardigm, nobody knows what happens further down below the water, unless it surfaces.

These are all great descriptions ... and all are correct to my way of thinking. There is the overall global community encompassing all the forums, chat rooms and social media groups ... then they slowly funnel down to whatever group is your core group. For me most of them are here ... and in the Poser Lounge. But that is my perspective. We all have our core community. That's how I see it anyway.

These are all great descriptions ... and all are correct to my way of thinking. There is the overall global community encompassing all the forums, chat rooms and social media groups ... then they slowly funnel down to whatever group is your core group. For me most of them are here ... and in the Poser Lounge. But that is my perspective. We all have our core community. That's how I see it anyway.

Thanks for the response. I think you've summed it up nicely.

Perhaps a fairly accurate analogy is the city you live in compared with the community you live in as compared to the neighbourhood you live in and even the block you live on. They're all community in some way, but the context changes.